Kerry: 'special relationship' with UK will continue

Sunday, June 26, 2016 - 00:59

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says the United States will continue its ''close and special relationship'' with the U.K. despite Britain's vote to leave the European Union. Rough Cut (no reporter narration).

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ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION)
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry spoke out about the 'Brexit' on Sunday (June 26) in Rome ahead of his planned visits to Brussels and London, and said that his country would continue to have "a very close and special relationship with Great Britain".
"One of the things that I want to emphasize in coming here today to Europe is how important the relationship of Europe, the E.U. is to the United States and to the world," Kerry told reporters.
"One country has made a decision, obviously it is a decision that the United States had hoped would go the other way. But it didn't. We will continue, the United States, to have a very close and special relationship with Great Britain, we value that relationship, that does not change because of this vote. On the other hand, obviously, there are steps that Europe needs to take to respond to the expression of voters and to the concerns of people in other countries," he said.
Kerry will meet European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini in Brussels and British Foreign Minister Philip Hammond in London on Monday (June 27), a senior State Department official said.
The trip comes as European Union and U.K. officials weigh the political and economic fallout from Friday's shock British referendum outcome in favor of leaving the 28-nation bloc.

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